Charity should replace Welfare Myth

Charitable giving is not a substitute for government social services, as the objects of donors’ affections typically reflect the donors’ backgrounds, business connections, and desires for social status. To be blunt, the money pours into the nation’s greatest private universities, opera companies, medical centers, and art museums, but the poor and disenfranchised from races or backgrounds very different from those of the largest donors are infrequently the beneficiaries of commensurate largesse. There also is an argument that charitable support is in some respects more degrading to recipients than government income maintenance programs; such support certainly is less reliable, as donors’ preferences and financial resources fluctuate. Location 5952

Note: Beautiful takedown of Jon’s common charity argument and other such nonsense